Code: 2721
Description: A bifacially-flaked dark grey flint blade perhaps reworked from a broken crescentric form, with a dull patina and in good condition, found Corn Island, Kentucky.
Size: 67 mm/2.6 ins. in length
Culture: American Indian
Date: Probably dating from before the 1st Millennium A.D.
Provenance: Ex Dr. H.A. Fawcett Collection.
Background: Dr. Hugh Alderson Fawcett (1891-1982) was a general practitioner and antiquarian who built up an important collection of ancient implements, weapons and ornaments that eventually numbered some eight thousand items. It was he who alerted the British Museum to the discovery of the fabulous Mildenhall treasure after being shown it by Sydney Ford during Easter in 1946. The bulk of his collection is now in the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, but Fawcett previously sold or traded many pieces in order to improve his collection. His distinctive monogram and careful recording of provenance makes his pieces readily identifiable.
Notes: Corn Island is a former island in the Ohio River, just north of Louisville. A 1780 survey listed its size at 43 acres (170,000 square metres) and it was settled in 1778, but the settlement soon abandoned, although the island continued to be used for farming. The island was flooded by the construction of a dam in the 1920s and now lies permanently submerged. If the find locality is correct then this must be an old find.
